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Airbus to terminate A380 program in 2021
Airbus announced Feb. 14 it is terminating the Airbus A380 program in 2021, after Emirates cut back the last major order to just 14 A380s, instead of the 53 it had on firm order.
The Emirates order now comprises 40 A330-900s and 30 A350-900s, according to a new heads of terms agreement.
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Bombardier Commercial delivered 20 CRJs, 15 Q400s in 2018
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft delivered 20 CRJs and 15 Q400s in 2018, and deliveries are expected to remain at the 35-aircraft level for 2019.
The February sale of nine CRJ900s to Canada’s Chorus Aviation takes the backlog to 54 aircraft and provides “a solid skyline for the next two years,” Bellemare said.
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Chinese drone maker upgrades geofencing technology around airports
Chinese drone manufacturer DJI is upgrading the geofencing technology in its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to prevent them from flying close to airports across Europe.
DJI said its Geospatial Environment Online (GEO) 2.0 system creates three-dimensional “bow-tie” safety zones surrounding runway flight paths. The upgraded system will also include temporary flight restrictions, based on Eurocontrol data, which will be imposed during “major events or natural disasters.”
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Airbus to increase narrowbody production ramp-up
Airbus has firmed up its plans to further increase narrowbody production over the next three years. The company said Feb. 14 that it will raise output to 63 single-aisle aircraft per month in 2021. Airbus is “on track” to reach rate 60/month in the middle of 2019. The decision comes after a long review process involving multiple studies into different rates. Airbus had considered a much steeper rise in production to volumes in excess of 70 aircraft per month.
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BelugaXL arrives in UK for tests at Broughton wing plant
Airbus’s first BelugaXL logistics aircraft has made its maiden flight to the airframer’s UK wing plant at Broughton.
It departed Toulouse just after 14:10 on 14 February and conducted a flypast at the Filton facility, and along the Bristol Channel, before heading north through Wales.
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Bombardier swings to $318m profit in 2018
Bombardier earned a $318 million profit in 2018, reversing a loss in 2017 thanks largely to strong performance of the company's business aircraft and aero-structures divisions, which offset commercial aircraft losses.
The results came in a year of major transition during which Bombardier handed its CSeries (now called the A220) programme to Airbus, signed a deal to sell its Q Series turboprop to a subsidiary of Viking Air and mulled the future of its only remaining commercial aircraft programme, the CRJ line of regional jets.
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Amedeo cancels dormant A380 order
Leasing company Amedeo has formally cancelled its order for 20 Airbus A380s, without having taken delivery of a single one.
Amedeo emerged as a successor brand to Doric Lease, which firmed an agreement to take the 20 aircraft in February 2014 – becoming the only A380 customer that year.
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Boeing 747's production run could outlast A380's
Airbus’s probable backlog for the A380 is less than that for the Boeing 747-8, leaving open the possibility that production of the iconic US aircraft could yet outlast its European rival.
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates’ decision to cut its A380 order to 123 aircraft leaves just 14 outstanding A380 deliveries for the carrier, while Japan’s All Nippon Airways is set to take three.
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Emirates twinjet deal is strong consolation for Rolls-Royce
Emirates will take its Rolls-Royce-powered Airbus A380 fleet to 33 aircraft once deliveries of the remaining 14 are complete.
Rolls-Royce had been set to fit the Trent 900 to 52 A380s but the Dubai-based airline is cutting its A380 orders, slashing 39 from its backlog. The Trent 900 had been selected for 19 of those, while no engine choice had been made for the other 20.
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Bell 407 GXi wins Chinese type certification
The Bell 407GXi light single helicopter has secured type certification in China, paving away for local deliveries of the type.
“We are pleased that Bell has received the Chinese validation of the Bell 407GXi type certificate which will enable us to begin delivering our most advanced Bell 407 model to Chinese customers,” says Jose Jacinto Monge, managing director of Bell North Asia.
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Total A380 deliveries likely to match L-1011's
Airbus will just about top 250 A380 deliveries by the time the programme closes in 2021, preliminary figures indicate.
The airframer had delivered 234 of the double-deck type by the end of January.
Emirates is set to take a further 14, having switched the rest of its A380 backlog to a mix of twin-engined A330neo and A350s.
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Airbus to deliver up to 890 aircraft this year
Airbus is aiming to deliver 880-890 commercial aircraft this year, compared with the 800 handed over in 2018.
The airframer disclosed the target while unveiling its full-year financial results in Toulouse.
It states that its commercial aircraft earnings for the year nearly doubled to €4.3 billion, on a 10% rise in revenues to just under €48 billion.
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DOT approves Norwegian Swedish subsidiary
The US Department of Transportation has approved Norwegian Air Sweden (NSE) to operate flights to and from the US.
The carrier said Feb. 14 that the move was an initial step toward starting long-haul flights with Norwegian’s Swedish subsidiary to the US; it also has plans for Far East services originating in Sweden. Services will focus on Stockholm Arlanda airport.
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Etihad to cancel large part of Airbus, Boeing orders
Etihad Airways is in talks to drop large parts of its orders for Airbus and Boeing widebodies, in an effort to reduce growth and stem losses. The airline is in “commercial discussions” with Airbus to cut all 40 Airbus A350-900s it has on firm order plus two A350-1000s. Of the original order for 62 A350s, only 20 A350-1000s remain, according to Airbus. The commitment for 26 A321neos is unchanged. Etihad stated that it is taking six Boeing 777-9s, 26 A321neos and five A350-1000s
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Air France trials biometric boarding enhancements
Air France expects enhancements to the biometric boarding pass solution it is trialing to soon enable passengers to proceed from baggage drop-off to boarding without having to show passports or identification cards at all.
By matching a passenger’s biometric data with their image, the airline said that “in a few months’ time” passengers will be authorized to board flights using just their biometric passes.
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SIA Group 3Q net profit falls 27% on increased fuel costs
Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group reported a net profit of S$105 million ($76.8 million) for 3Q FY18/19, down 27% year -over-year (YOY) on rising expenditure and fuel costs.
The group’s operating profit fell 14.5% to S$388 million. However, SIA said revenue rose S$265 million to S44.4 billion because of momentum from its transformation program plans; passenger demand was up 7.7%.
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Spirit to launch Charlotte service
Spirit Airlines’ new service between American Airlines’ Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) fortress hub and four other airports with significant major-airline presence may be eye-opening at first, but the long-term ramifications of the move—a single daily flight on each route—should be negligible, Bernstein analysts conclude.
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EasyJet in talks with Delta, Italian railway firm for Alitalia investment
UK LCC easyJet has confirmed it is in talks with US carrier Delta Air Lines and Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato over the possibility of a joint investment in bankrupt Alitalia.
In a Feb. 13 statement, easyJet said that following its submission of a non-binding expression of interest in a restructured Alitalia in October, it now “confirms that it is in discussions with Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane and Delta Air Lines about forming a consortium to explore options for the future operations of Alitalia.”
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United continues Denver expansion to East Coast
United Airlines will add service to Greenville-Spartanburg, Portland (Maine) and Syracuse from Denver this June, further building on its expansion at the Colorado airport.
The Star Alliance carrier will offer daily service on all three routes, with Greenville and Syracuse operated with 76-seat Embraer 175s and Portland with 150-seat Airbus A320, it says today. The Denver-Portland route will operate seasonally during the summer.
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Cash-strapped Jet Airways' board approves bailout plan
Cash-strapped Jet Airways has disclosed its board's approval of a bailout plan put forward by a consortium of lenders led by the State Bank of India (SBI).
Under the proposal, Jet would receive gap funding of Rs85 billion ($1.28 billion), including the repayment of Rs17 billion of aircraft debt.
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Ryanair Max to make debut at Stansted
Ryanair's first Boeing 737 Max narrowbody will be deployed at London Stansted airport.
Speaking at a media event in the UK capital today, Ryanair marketing chief Kenny Jacobs said that the first of the low-cost carrier's on-order Max jets would arrive at the Essex gateway in April and be followed by another four this year.
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Emirates revives A350 interest after previous shut-out
Emirates’ decision to order 70 Airbus long-haul twinjets, and cancel dozens of A380s, comes almost five years after it cancelled 70 twinjets after opting for an A380 deal.
The Dubai-based airline’s rejig also resurrects its interest in the A350 which had ended when it axed an order for 70 of the type – including 50 -900s and 20 -1000s – in 2014.
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Vistara awaiting approval for international launch
India's Vistara says it has applied to launch international services, and is awaiting the government's approval.
In a televised interview with local media, chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor says the carrier is able to mount international services "within a few weeks" from receiving approval.
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Historic day for Dublin Airport with SOD turning for new north runway
Ireland's Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, and Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, today joined daa chief executive, Dalton Philips, to perform the official sod-turning for Dublin Airport’s new North Runway project.
The new runway is urgently needed to allow for expansion to underpin Ireland’s long-term economic growth as Dublin Airport’s existing main runway is effectively full at peak times every day following a 45% increase in passenger numbers since 2014.
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Western Australia Airport infrastructure becomes priority
Western Sydney Airport has again been included among the nation’s ‘high priority infrastructure’ projects by Infrastructure Australia.
Infrastructure Australia has released the 2019 Infrastructure Priority List, which names Australia’s most significant nation building initiatives, this year outlining a record $58 billion project pipeline.
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USAF acquisition costs to rise to $104bn by 2033: Report
The US Air Force’s acquisition costs are projected to reach $104 billion by 2033, driven primarily by the purchase of several new aircraft and weapons.
That projection comes from a new report from the Congressional Budget Office, released 13 February, which analysed the 2019 Department of Defense’s five-year spending plan— called the Future Years Defense Programme – and projected near-term costs and likely long-term financial impacts.
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DoD to begin negotiations to buy 485 Lockheed Martin F-35s
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office intends to solicit and negotiate multiple contracts to buy 485 stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin.
The negotiations are for aircraft to be built as part of production Lots 15, 16 and 17, the Department of Defense office said in a notice posted online 13 February announcing its intent to begin bargaining. The contracts would provide for long lead time materials, parts, components, initial spares, and labour, as well as production and testing equipment.
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Airbus to conclude A400M contract revisions in months
Airbus expects to conclude contract revisions with A400M customers “in the coming months”, and says it “completed significant de-risking” of the military transport programme during 2018.
Speaking at the European group’s annual results presentation in Toulouse, outgoing chief executive Tom Enders said Airbus has “succeeded in re-baselining the programme with our government customers”.
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Aviation Quote
The three best things in life are a good landing, a good orgasm, and a good bowel movement. A night carrier landing is one of the few opportunities to experience all three at the same time.
- Anonymous
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. A pilot is practicing an on-pylon. He notices during the turn that the pylon is slipping ahead of the wingtip. He should
a. climb and reduce airspeed.
b. climb and increase airspeed.
c. descend and reduce airspeed.
d. descend and increase airspeed.
2. A pilot is practicing an around-pylon in a counterclockwise direction while under the influence of an easterly wind. On which of the following headings will rate of turn be greatest?
a. 090 degrees
b. 180 degrees
c. 270 degrees
d. 360 degrees
3. There are three types of airmets. A phonetic letter names each type. _____ refers to IFR conditions and/or extensive mountain obscurations; _____ is issued for turbulence, high winds, and low-level wind shear; and _____ advises of icing and freezing levels.
a. Airmet Sierra, airmet Tango, airmet Zulu
b. Airmet Tango, airmet Sierra, airmet Uniform
c. Airmet Uniform, airmet Zulu, airmet Sierra
d. Airmet Zulu, airmet Tango, airmet Sierra
4
. A U.S. military fighter pilot broadcasts the word Winchester. What is the significance of this transmission?
5. What was the first type of jet aircraft to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean?
6. In the jargon of flight attendants, what is a thumper?
